It’s officially March, which means things are about to get mad. The ACC started the chaos with two major upsets on Sunday, with North Carolina defeating Duke and Notre Dame topping Louisville.
Conference tournaments are sure to cause more shakeup, but for now, the top four: UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas hold firm. Here’s how I voted in this week’s AP Poll, with last week’s rankings in parentheses:
3. South Carolina (3)
Dropped out: Rhode Island (25)
Almost famous: Iowa State, Illinois, Fairfield, NC State, Princeton, Richmond, Washington
Notes on the votes:
UConn and UCLA: These two teams seem to be on a crash course for the national championship game. UConn, of course, is undefeated, while UCLA has one loss that came to Texas back in November. They are also the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the NET rankings. In other words, UConn and UCLA have been the most dominant teams in college basketball this season.
UConn continues to blow through the Big East behind Player of the Year front-runner Sarah Strong and potential No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd. The Bruins have their own potential No. 1 pick in 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who is surrounded by a plethora of scorers. If these two squads met in March, it would be one for the ages.
Ohio State: If you haven’t watched Jaloni Cambridge yet this season, you are missing out. The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard has been sensational for the Buckeyes, averaging 23.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She had 33 points in an 87-68 victory over Michigan State on Sunday. It was a must-win for the Buckeyes, who had previously lost three of their last four to Maryland, Minnesota and Michigan.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers closed out Big 12 conference play by winning seven of their last eight games, which included an upset over Baylor. West Virginia is the kind of team that can be dangerous in March due to its intense full-court defensive pressure. Led by senior Jordan Harrison, the entire West Virginia backcourt is scrappy and athletic, creating the kind of chaos no one wants to see in a single-elimination tournament.
North Carolina: UNC is another team playing its best basketball at the right time. The Tar Heels won 12 of their last 13 games, ending ACC play with a revenge win over Duke. UNC lost its previous matchup 72-68 but won Sunday’s matchup 74-69. With the excellent end to the regular-season, North Carolina now has a chance to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament by earning a No. 4 seed.
Ole Miss: The Rebels had the opposite end to their SEC slate, losing six of their last eight and their last four in a row. They finished conference play at 8-8, which cost the Rebels a chance to host in March Madness unless they make a deep run in the SEC Tournament. Senior forward Cotie McMahon has been consistent offensively for Ole Miss, scoring 19.9 points per game, but the Rebels need more from others going forward.
Notre Dame: It’s been a difficult season for Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish finally get back in my top 25 after a massive upset win over Louisville on Sunday. Hannah Hidalgo, who has led Notre Dame in scoring in all but three games this season, finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Hidalgo will need more games like that if her squad wants to make noise in the NCAA Tournament.
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